Forecast

Ridgefield among top ranked in state high schools

RIDGEFIELD -- Ridgefield High School was named the eighth-best high school in the state and 302nd nationally, according to the just released 2014 U.S. News and World Report high school rankings.

The magazine analyzed 31,242 public high schools in the 50 states and the District of Columbia and reduced that number to 19,400 -- the number of public high schools with a high enough 12th-grade enrollment and sufficient data from 2011-12 school year to be eligible for the rankings.

"It's great news. We're very proud," Ridgefield Schools Superintendent Deborah Low said. "We have highly motivated kids, supportive parents and community, enough resources and an incredible staff. When you put those all together, it brings success."

Ridgefield High School, which has 1,772 students and 121 teachers, was ranked fourth in the state last year and 250 nationally and third in the state the year before.

More Information

Connecticut's top 10 high schools for 20141. Academy of Aerospace and Engineering, Hartford2. Connecticut International Baccalaureate Academy, East Hartford3. Weston High School4. Amistad Academy, New Haven5. Conard High School, West Hartford6. Wilton High School7. Farmington High School8. Ridgefield High School9. Staples High School, Westport10. Canton High SchoolSource: U.S. News & World Report

"I think that when you get to the top rankings, it's splitting hairs to choose between schools," Low said about the drop in ranking. "To be among the top schools in the state and to be nationally ranked is very impressive."

Still, Low noted that while this magazine's methodology uses more educational measurements than some of the other groups that determine rankings, it still relies heavily on test scores.

"Certainly, that is a valid proxy," Low said, "but test scores are a piece of the information and not the only judge of a high school."

"It shows that in spite of concerns of some parents about the administration and Common Core Standards, we have allowed our administration to work to the best of their capabilities to propel us to be among the top performing districts," Drucker said.

"The challenge is going to be to continue to maintain these high standards, which is always the issue when you are among the top. I have a lot of confidence in the administration."

It looked first at a school's results in reading and math on state-mandated tests.

It then evaluated whether the school's least-advantaged students -- black, Hispanic and low-income -- were performing better than the average for similar students in the state.

To do that, the magazine compared each school's math and reading proficiency rates for disadvantaged students with the statewide results for these student groups and then selected schools that were performing better than their state average.

Schools that made it through the first two steps were judged nationally on the final step -- college-readiness performance, which measured which schools produced the best college-level achievement for the highest percentages of their students.

The magazine used Advanced Placement test results or International Baccalaureate test data to measure success.